Canarian Weekly
15-05-2015, 12:11
THE Spanish Government has withdrawn permission for test flights of Airbus A400M military transport planes following the deadly weekend crash.
The aircraft are still in production, but officials say they are grounded until an investigation determines the cause.
When Defence Minister Pedro Morenes annlounced the news on Tuesday, it sparked fresh uncertainty about planned deliveries of the cargo plane to national militaries who have ordered it by the dozen.
In a statement, Airbus said it was too early to say how Spain’s decision would affect the delivery schedule, and that it was working with military authorities and customers “to manage the situation”.
Two pilots and two flight test engineers died in Saturday’s crash in the southern city of Seville, where A400Ms are being assembled.
“It’s not a good idea for those planes in the production phase, and about to do tests, to fly without knowing what really happened with the crashed plane,” said Morenes in a radio interview.
Spain’s air-traffic controllers said on Twitter that the pilots had communicated just before the crash about an unspecified problem which was affecting the flight.
Some media outlets also quoted Airbus Seville labour union representative Francisco Figueroa as saying the pilot evaded a much worse disaster by landing the plane in a field, avoiding a possible crash into a nearby shopping mall or factories.
“It appears that the pilot made a manoeuvre to try to avoid worse things happening in the accident,” said Morenes.
The four who died were honoured at a funeral mass in Seville’s cathedral on Tuesday.
Morenes said the permits were being temporarily rescinded by Spain’s National Institute for Aerospace Technique, which means that A400Ms in final stages of assembly cannot go on test flights.
But he declined to provide initial findings of the crash investigation, stressing that the probe would be complicated.
Also, a judge in Seville in charge of the crash probe ordered that it must be conducted in secret.
Possible human and technological crash factors will be investigated, said Morenes, adding the possibility that the pilot’s manoeuvring of the plane in its final moments in the air might provide clues.
Airbus sought to promote the plane’s safety by conducting a test flight of another A400M on Tuesday, the aircraft flying safely from Toulouse, France, to Seville.
That flight was not affected by Spain’s suspension of test flights because the plane owned by Airbus is a test plane not scheduled for delivery, said a company official.
Fernando Alonso, who heads Airbus Defence and Space, took part as a flight engineer in a symbolic show of confidence.
Alonso got his job in January after Airbus dismissed his predecessor following complaints by governments about continued delays in finishing the cargo plane, whose roll-out went billions over budget – and years beyond deadline!
Four of the five countries which already have A400Ms – Britain, Germany, Malaysia and Turkey – grounded the plane after the crash. France, which has six, will use the aircraft only in urgent operations.
The 20-billion-euro A400M programme saw its first deliveries in 2013. Some 194 aircraft have been ordered by eight countries, including Spain, to replace their ageing military transport fleets.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/tragedy-plane-tests-suspended/)
The aircraft are still in production, but officials say they are grounded until an investigation determines the cause.
When Defence Minister Pedro Morenes annlounced the news on Tuesday, it sparked fresh uncertainty about planned deliveries of the cargo plane to national militaries who have ordered it by the dozen.
In a statement, Airbus said it was too early to say how Spain’s decision would affect the delivery schedule, and that it was working with military authorities and customers “to manage the situation”.
Two pilots and two flight test engineers died in Saturday’s crash in the southern city of Seville, where A400Ms are being assembled.
“It’s not a good idea for those planes in the production phase, and about to do tests, to fly without knowing what really happened with the crashed plane,” said Morenes in a radio interview.
Spain’s air-traffic controllers said on Twitter that the pilots had communicated just before the crash about an unspecified problem which was affecting the flight.
Some media outlets also quoted Airbus Seville labour union representative Francisco Figueroa as saying the pilot evaded a much worse disaster by landing the plane in a field, avoiding a possible crash into a nearby shopping mall or factories.
“It appears that the pilot made a manoeuvre to try to avoid worse things happening in the accident,” said Morenes.
The four who died were honoured at a funeral mass in Seville’s cathedral on Tuesday.
Morenes said the permits were being temporarily rescinded by Spain’s National Institute for Aerospace Technique, which means that A400Ms in final stages of assembly cannot go on test flights.
But he declined to provide initial findings of the crash investigation, stressing that the probe would be complicated.
Also, a judge in Seville in charge of the crash probe ordered that it must be conducted in secret.
Possible human and technological crash factors will be investigated, said Morenes, adding the possibility that the pilot’s manoeuvring of the plane in its final moments in the air might provide clues.
Airbus sought to promote the plane’s safety by conducting a test flight of another A400M on Tuesday, the aircraft flying safely from Toulouse, France, to Seville.
That flight was not affected by Spain’s suspension of test flights because the plane owned by Airbus is a test plane not scheduled for delivery, said a company official.
Fernando Alonso, who heads Airbus Defence and Space, took part as a flight engineer in a symbolic show of confidence.
Alonso got his job in January after Airbus dismissed his predecessor following complaints by governments about continued delays in finishing the cargo plane, whose roll-out went billions over budget – and years beyond deadline!
Four of the five countries which already have A400Ms – Britain, Germany, Malaysia and Turkey – grounded the plane after the crash. France, which has six, will use the aircraft only in urgent operations.
The 20-billion-euro A400M programme saw its first deliveries in 2013. Some 194 aircraft have been ordered by eight countries, including Spain, to replace their ageing military transport fleets.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/tragedy-plane-tests-suspended/)